Improvement in grain-binders



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A.- ROSS-& S. J-. PARKER.

Grain-Binder. I

Nb. 207,821. v Patented Sept. 10, 1878.

UNITED STA Es PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER Ross AND sAMUEL J. PARKER, on RooHEsrER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-BINDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 207,821, datedSeptember 10, 1878; application filed J anua1'y24, 1878. r

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER Ross and SAMUEL J. PARKER, both ofRochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Grain-Binders, which improvement isfully set forth in the following specification and accompanyin gdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear-elevation view, indicated by arrowzin Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan; Fig. 3, Sheet 2, a side-elevation view,indicated by arrow 2 inFig. 1; Fig. 4., an elevation of the wire holdingandtwisting apparatus; Fig. 5, a portion of same, sectioned on line z inFig. 6; Fig. 6, a plan of a portion of the twister; Fig. 7, a plan,(reduced size,) showing the normal and relative positions of the twisterand tucker; Figs. Sand 9, detached views; and Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13,modifications explained farther on.

Our invention relates to automatic wire grainbinding attachments toharvesters, the object being, mainly, to construct'the driving mechanismof the binding-arm so the latter will briefly dwell near the twister ateach operation of binding, to produce a new wire twisting and holdingdevice and friction-lock to prevent a reverse motion of the machinery.

1n the drawings, B, Fig. 1, is the rear of a portion of the frame, and Athe driving-wheel,

of a reaper provided with a binding attachment, of which 0 is thebinding-arm.

The supporting-bracket A carries the shaft 1), the crank b of whichcarries upon its pin the said arm, the reverse end of which runs in theguide or track T.

The chain E, which drives the shaft D, reachin g around sprockets F andD, is of excessive.

length, the slack being taken up or held by the tightening-rollers e andd, held at the extremities of the shifting tightener f, turning on theshaft G.

The said piece f is moved upon the center G by means of the lever H,Figs. 2 and 3, operated by the cam L, said lever being pivoted at 0, andhaving an end entering a vertical slot, 73, of the piece f. The cammoving the lever H is so shaped that the piece f is caused to movegradually fromleft to right, as it appears in Fig. 1, but to returncomparatively rapidly from right to left, the quicker move- .mentoccurring while the roller g of the lever is carried along the straightportion of the cam from a to g.

The cam L rotates once to each complete operation of the binding-arm,and the two are relatively so timed that the roller 9 reaches the pointa in the cam at the moment the hind ing-arm returns the wire to thetwister. At this juncture the shifting tightener f is at its extremeright position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the slack in thechain E being wholly on the downward-moving or draft side of the same.

Now, as the cam rotates and carries the roller 9 from a to g theshifting tightener will be moved from right to left, causing the roller6 to yield the slack in the chain to the draft upon the same, causedbythe rotating sprocket F, the result being that for a few seconds oftime,'and:while the tightener is ni'o'ving from right'to left, the shaftD will cease rotating and the binding-arm remain at rest, although thesprocket F continues to rotate uniformly. Instead of fully stopping thebinding-arm, the cam L may be so shaped as to reduce its motion to avery slow rate. This dwell or slow motion of the armoccurs whilethe'wire is being twisted, and is important as facilitating saidtwisting of the wire.

Fig. 9 shows the reverse of the rollers c and cl enlarged, and showing atransverse slot, h, by means of which the roller 0 may be adjusted toregulate the amount of the slack in the chain E. V

Fig. 2 shows alever, is, pivoted at I, underlying the cam L, by which itis operated, by

means of which the'rack'm is reciprocated.

This pinion turns the gear-J, atthetop end of the vertical shaft ofwhich is secured the wire-tucking wheel K, at a level and acting'conjointly with the twister-head N.

The cam L, by a projection from its under surface acting upon a rollerof the lever k,

causes the rack m to rotate the twister at the proper time, asabovedescribed.

7 The twister-head N is made hollow, the cavity, opening out at oppositesides of the head, being provided with parallel horizontal ledges orwire-crimpers n n 0, projecting from the opposite walls.

Fig. 7 shows the twister N and wire-tucker K in their normalposition,reduced size, their relation to the other parts of the machinebeing understood from Fig. 2, in which they occupy the same position.

The tucker K is provided with blades 1" s t and a wire-cutter, a,projecting from its periphery, and the time of its rotations, comparedwith that of the twister, is as four to one, the two being so puttogether that as they rotate the projecting blades 0 s t, and finallythe cutter a, successively enter the cavity of the twister-head, asshown in Figs. 5 and 6, which show the twister as having made ahalf'revolutiou from the position shown in Fig. 7. A complete rotationof the twister from the position shown at Fig. 6 will bring the blades 8into the cavity, a second the blades 15, and a third the cutter u.

The blades, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, are in clusters of four each,those of each cluster being uniform, but increasing in length in theclusters from r to t, as shown.

As the blades enter the head they alternate with the crimpers n n 0, andcrowd the wires between the overlapping crimpers, as shown in Figs. 4.and 5,each succeeding group of blades forcing the wires nearer the axis,and the final cutter a shearing the wires against the side of the slot22 in the upper plate of the twister. A reverse motion of the rack mbrings the twister and tucker K back to the position shown in Fig. 7.The longest group of tuckin g-blades t push the wires back of the notchor hook w in the lower crimper, n, Fig. 8, and the cutter a severs thewires after the twisting is accomplished. When the twister is rotatedthe single wire extending from the same down to the point of the arm isallowed to wind around the spindle under the head, and unwind as themotion is reversed. WVhen the arm rises,the wire, bent to a zigzag shapeover the edges of the crimpers, as shown inFig. 4, and back of the hookw, by means of which it is held, is drawn across the under side of thehook and up through the slot 11, and returned by the arm, after havingencircled a gavel, to a position in front of the opening in thetwisterhead, into which it is carried by a hook, a, of thewire-gathering bar b. The bar I) is operated by means of the lever F andcam L, as shown in Fig. 2, the depression 0 in the cam causing thegatherer I) to carry the returned wire into the head N and hold itduring the period of twisting.

The blades of the tucker K, alternating with the crimpers in thetwister, render it essential that the two should closely register. Toeffect this adjustment, we employ a spring clamp-nut, S, finelythreaded, upon the spindle E, as shown in Fig. 4, which may be set witha common screw-driver at position desired.

(1, Figs. 2 and 3, represents a small' plate, held parallel to andslightly above the upper surface of the twister by the rods 6 reachingdown to connect with a yoke, f. This yoke is provided with a verticalthreaded hole at the middle to receive the screw g, which is anextension of the twister-spindle; and when the twister is rotated theyoke, and consequently the plate 4', is carried gradually down with thewires as they are drawn down by the operation of twisting, the designbeing to prevent the abrasion of the wires by causing the part againstwhich they press to move with them, instead of allowing them to rub andchafe, as they otherwise would.

Fig. 10, Sheet 1, shows a different method of tightening the loose chainE, the rollers c and d being held by pendent hangers 7&1 b inside of thechains. The inner opposing faces of these hangers are made cam shape,againstwhich a roller, a, of the lever 11 presses. The swaying of thelever 77 by the connection ll causes the shifting of the hangers, asshown, the cam-faces being so shaped as to keep the chain uniformly tautat all positions of the hangers.

Fig. 11 shows a second modification of the manner of stopping thebinding-arm, in which a tight chain is used in connection withbevelgears is l and intermediate m. 70 and m are loose, l tight. So longas the cam L, with the lever H, holds the shaft 19 to place the shaft Dwill be rotated by the chain E and loose gear k by means of g theintermediate m; but should the shaft 12, which is suspended from theloose sleeve 1", be allowed to swing in the direction of rotation of 7c,the gear I and shaft D would rest during the period of said swingmg.

Fig. 12 shows a third modification, in which a tight chain, E, is usedin combination with internal and external gears 15 and 8 upon the shaftD, with an intermediate, to. If s is fast to D and it loose, D will berotated by the chain as long as a is held in position; but if allowed tomove with t, D immediately stops.

Fig. 13 shows a modification of the manner of tucking the wires in thetwister-head. The piece P, from which extend tucking-blades 1t, similarto those of the wheel 75, is caused to move endwise, the blades enteringthe head N alternating with the crimpers of the same, as abovedescribed.

In Fig. 4 is shown a comb, H, stationed in a position to have the teethclear away straw or other extraneous matter that might lodge in thespaces between the blades 1", &c., of the wheel K as the latter rotates.

We claim as our invention--- 1. Wheels F and D, provided with a loosechain, E, and oppositely-acting shifting tighteners 6 cl for the chain,in combination with shaft and crank D and b and grain-bindin g arm 0,substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the binding mechanism of a grain-binder, ofshaft D, wheels F and D, chain or cord E, shifting tightener f, providedwith rollers c and d, and suitable automatic operating mechanism forsaid tightener, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a binding-arm, G,

crank b, shaft D, and chain E, a cam, L, lever H, and shifting device f,substantially as shown.

4. In combination with the arm (l, crank and shaft 11 and D, sprockets Dand F, and

chain E, a shifting tightener, f, provided with 7. The cutting-blade u,projecting from the rotating tucking-wheel K, acting in concert with thewire-twister head N to sever the wire, substantially as described andshown.

8. In combination with the twisting-spindle E of a grain-binder, ayielding plate, cl, rods 6, and piece f, substantially as set forth.

9. A hollow wire-twister head, N, provided with a ledge or blade, 11/,having a notch or hook, on, for the purpose of catching and holding thespool end of the wire after the same has been severed, constructedsubstantially as shown and set forth.

10. In combination with a rotating twister, N, of a grain-binder, arotating wheel or piece, K, provided with groups r s t of projectingblades, caused to enter successively the cavity of the head, the bladesforming the groups increasing in length from first to last,substantially as described.

11. A sliding rack, on, rotating a pinion, p, of the wire twister of agrain-binder, in combi nation with said pinion and twister, gear J, andtucker-wheel K, substantially as described.

ALEXANDER ROSS. SAM. J. PARKER. \Vituesses:

E. B. WHITMORE, Z. L. DAvIs.

